Conveying mechanism



Nov. 1, 1960 F. G. NICOLAUS CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 12, 1958 IMTERRUPTi/Z Mnsrsz CONT/20L Mun/5 INVENTOR.

dzibrney United States Patent M CONVEYING MECHANISM Frank G. Nicolaus, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, 111.; American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago, executor of said Raymond T. Moloney, deceased Filed Feb. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 714,916

Claims. (Cl. 198-154) The invention pertains to improvements in ball-return and elevating or feeding apparatus, particularly for bowling games.

While the disclosed improvements are applicable to regulation bowling equipment, they are especially adapted to use with the smaller equipment found in coin-controlled bowling and similar games using balls having substantial weight, but smaller than regulation bowling balls, and also differing from the latter in that they have a high skin friction when rolled or rubbed against each other, as in a return or elevating feed trough.

When such balls are lined up one against another in a return trough, it is found that the entire line of balls resists pushing to a remarkable degree, as by an effort to push the entire line of balls by a force applied to the endmost ball.

Commonly, the balls in bowling games are fed in a trough by gravity to some form of elevator which raises them to a level from which they may roll back to the players position.

Balls of the class described tend to jam in the trough because they look up against each other and the leading ball may not move promptly, or at all, into the elevator; or one or more trailing balls may not move down to admit another spent or played ball into the feed trough.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the invention to provide a ball-feeding and elevating mechanism which will be jam-free as respects causes relating to a high coefiicient of skin friction such as exists with balls made of rubber and rubber-like compositions.

Another object is the provision of an elevating and feeding mechanism which has a start-stop feature and which will hold a ball in elevated condition in readiness for immediate release to the player.

Another and specific object is the provision of an elevating means having a back-up feature which tends to v relieve frictional jamming as a result of both automatic and effected back-up operations.

Additional objects and aspects of novelty and utility characterizing the invention relate to details of the construction and operation of the embodiment described hereafter in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective schematic of the ball elevating system and control circuit;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of part of the elevator well showing the back-up locking means particularly;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the elevator well.

Referring to Fig. I spent balls enter the return feed trough in the direction of the arrow, and the lowermost ball will lie over the path of upwardly moving lift fingers 12 on a wide endless belt 13 trained over upper and lower rollers 14.

One of the rollers will be driven through suitable reduction-gear means 15 from a motor 16 which is connected in a control circuit including a normally open start switch 17 and a normally closed breaker or super- 2,958,413 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 visory switch 18, the operation of which will be described hereafter.

The breaker switch 18 is opened by a ball rising to the top of the flight. The arrangement depicted in Fig. 2 shows a vertical well or channel 20 guarded on one rearward side by a series of rollers 22, carried on the face of an angle bracket 23. On the opposite side of the rearward open face of this well is another angle bracket 24 carrying rollers 25 aligned with rollers 22.

The sets of ball-lift or seating fingers 12 each comprise a metal stamping consisting of a thin plate 12A riveted as at 123 onto the conveyor belt 13 at properly spaced intervals. At the top of each plate 12A is a set of integrally offset fingers 12F each carrying a set of water rollers 12R, the mountings for which are spotwelded onto the fingers.

At the bottom edge of each plate 12A is spot-welded a cross strap at the opposite ends of which are small rollers 31 of nylon or the like which ride respectively in upright guide channels 33, only one of which is seen in Fig. 2, the second such channel being omitted from Fig. 1 so as not to obstruct the view.

The guide rollers 31 working in channels keep the heavily loaded conveyor belt running true, and at least one of these channels serves an important added function in that it is provided at its upper end with an offset lug 34 pitched in a direction back across the channel at about degrees or just sufficiently so that when the roller 31 backs downwardly, after having passed this stop lug, it will seat against the lug, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1, and be locked thereby against any further downward or retrograde movement; yet when the roller 31 encounters the pitched stop lug 34 on upward travel, the belt will yield suificiently to allow the roller to pass the lug easily. The stop-lug means 31 3334 may be duplicated at both sides or edges of the belt if desired, although satisfactory operation is achieved with only one lug. The several purposes of this construction and operation Will become apparent shortly.

In the structure depicted in Fig. 2, the breaker switch 18 is mounted on a sidewall portion of the elevator well and is provided with an offset feeler rod 183 pivoted in a bracket 18A with an end of the rod (Fig. 3) entering the well to be engaged and rocked by the rising ball (B-S) as the appertaining ball-seating or lifting unit 12 approaches the upper stopping position.

In operation, the circuit for motor 16 will be under the control of a master control means indicated schematically in Fig. 1 and usually conditioned for a cycle of operation responsive to deposit in the game apparatus of a coin in a manner well-known in the art.

The elevator control or starting switch 17 may be automatically actuated in conjunction with the operation of other instrumentalities in the game, or it may be manually operated by the player Whenever he requires delivery of a ball. For present descriptive purposes, it is immaterial how switch 17 is operated, and it will. be assumed first as manually closed.

As a result of closure of switch 17, power will be connected from one terminal of a suitable power source P to the coil of a relay 40 to energize the latter, which will set up its own holding circuit at contacts 41, conductor 19, closed breaker switch contacts 18 to the return side of the power source.

Relay contacts 42 will close and also connect power from conductor 19 via conductor 43 to one terminal of the elevator or conveyor motor 16, the remaining terminal of which connects to the other side of the power line via conductor 44, normally closed interrupter switch contacts 45, conductor 48, so that motor 16 will be energized for one delivery cycle in which the conveyor 13 will move the waiting ball B4, shown in dotted lines, over the top of the flight onto the inclined delivery rails 50, represented by call B-, for gravitation back to the players position (not shown) 7 It will be observed in the condition depicted in Fig. 1 that the ball (dotted lines, 13-4) on the ball lifter resting near the top of the flight has passed switch 18, so that the latter remains closed. This condition exists following a previous delivery operation, as will be pointed out again hereafter.

Assuming that the motor 16 is running and that the previously waiting ball B4 has been released, as aforesaid, the next ball, B-S, indicated in dotted lines, will be raised past the breaker switch 18, which will be opened by the feeler 18B and this action occurs at a time when the back stop roller 31 has passed the angled back stopping lug 34.

As a result of the aforesaid opening of the breaker switch 18, the holding circuit for relay 49 is broken at 41 and the relay drops out, opening contacts 42 to stop the conveyor motor, whereupon the ball assumes the position of a waiting ball at B4, and in backing up against the stop 34, the lift fingers of the unit 12 at the bottom of the feed trough will have a ball resting thereon at the time, and this ball will be backed down slightly with a consequent jostling of the remaining balls in the inclined trough 10, which aids in breaking-up any frictional binding which may exist, particularly as respects the leading ball (e.g. B2); and since the back-up action occurs at least once during each cycle, there is a regularly-repeated back-jostling which automatically tends to dispel the building-up of a jam in the infeeding or intake side of the conveyor system.

The frictional characteristic of the rubber or rubbertype composition balls (as distinguished for example from polished or smooth-surface wooden or plastic balls) can also be a source of trouble in the guide well for the conveyor belt, and for this reason roller means such as the discs 12R, 22, are provided to prevent jamming in the well, and while the balls have considerable freedom of movement therein and are mainly confined against total escape from fingers 12, the intermittent back-up feature is a further safeguard against jamming in the well.

In those games which provide for automatic ball delivery in response to each playing of a ball, the delivery switch 17 may be shunted (or replaced) by a return switch 17X which is actuated each time a spent ball enters the trough 10. Switch 17X is closed by an operating member 60 on a swinging bafiie plate or gate 61 or like means situated ahead of the trough in the path of any returning played ball.

The back-up relief operation is also deliberately caused or effected, apart from the foregoing operation, concomitantly with the waiting-ball feature. Such a deliberate or efiected operation is procured by means of an interrupter switch 45, which is normally closed in the power circuit for motor 16, and which is periodically opened by means of a somewhat slowly revolving breaker cam 46 driven by a small timer motor 47 of the reduction gear type, which may be one of the motors used in the 'mlzister control means for other control functions as we Interrupter switch 45 will briefly break the motor circuit several times per delivery cycle without affecting the holding relay, and will give to'the conveyor belt a startstop action which is very effective in preventing frictional am-up.

The conveyor belt 113 and its supporting and training rollers 14, and bearing means therefore, are desirably as free of friction as possible in order that the belt will undergo retrograde movement as a result of the effect of gravity on the load (eg. balls) carried thereby during the off or stopping phases of the start-stop motor drive, it being apparent that the retrograde movement is always a small fraction of the total forward ad nce Of the b t owing to the close position of the breaker switch 18 to the back-stop means 34 on the one hand, and the short interruptions by the interrupter cam 46 (where the latter is used) on the other hand.

In furtherance of these ends, the motor 16 is desirably of the squirrel cage variety having a freely revoluble rotor 16A and the gear means 15 desirably has a minimized resistance to reverse drive. Good results are had for lighter weight balls where the motor 16 is of the pinion or gear-clutch type causing the gear means 15 to mesh when the rotor 16A pulls into the field upon energization of the motor field.

Medium-size balls weighing about three pounds, for example, will cause the belt 13 to back up without the use of clutch means provided the gear means 15 does not involve too long a gear train so that the inertia and friction on the motor side would balance the retrograde driving effort of the ball or balls on the conveyor.

The waiting ball and back-up relie features are not restricted in use to coin-controlled or miniature tableand cabinet-type games but may be used in large opentype games. It is contemplated that any type of motor drive means l516 may be employed which will permit the conveyor means 13 to back up for locking and antijam action.

I claim:

1. Conveyor mechanism comprising a belt freely trained in a substantially vertical flight; means on the belt for seating conveyed objects for upward travel therewith; motor means 'connected for driving said belt and its load upwardly and capable of reversible 'motion through the action of gravity on the loaded belt in effecting retrograde motion thereof when the motor means is stopped; means for starting and stopping said motor means intermittently; and means for limiting the retrograde motion of said belt during stopping phases .of the motor-driving operation to a fraction of the advance conveying travel thereof, whereby to produce a jostling action tending to loosen conveyed objects from jamming relation with each other and objects likely to be contacted along the conveying path.

2. Conveying mechanism comprising a conveyor belt and means training the same for a flight in upwardly inclined travel and for retrograde movement with a minimum of frictional restraint; means spaced along the belt for supporting conveyed objects for upward transport therewith; an electric motor and means coupling the same with said belt to travel the latter as aforesaid, said motor and coupling means being capable of reverse motion to permit the aforesaid retrograde movement. of the belt; an operating circuit for starting and stopping said motor; and cooperative, uni-directional back-stop means on the belt and stationary relative thereto for permitting the belt to advance upwardly and preventing retrograde movement thereof past a certain fixed position; together with starting switch means connected in said circuit for operation to start said motor; and stopping switch means connected in said circuit for operation to stop said motor with said belt in a position advanced beyond said fixed position whereby the belt, at least when loaded with conveyed objects, will undergo a limited gravitational retrograde motion limited by said back-stop means to provide a jostling action for relieving jammed conditions for conveyed objects.

3. Mechanism according to claim 2 in which saidstop- :ping switch means is located adjacent said belt and said stationary back-stop means for actuation by a member carried with the belt in advancing motion of the "latter to stop the motor at a time when the belt has moved a distance past stationary back-stop means to predetermi-ne the amount of said retrograde movement.

4. ,Apparatus according to claim 3 further characterized inthat said belt-and supporting means is arranged and constructed to discharge conveyed objects substantially at the top of said flight; and said stopping switch means and said stationary back-stop means are located near said top of the flight in a position to stop the belt before discharge of an object therefrom as aforesaid, whereby to cause said back-stop means to hold the belt and object upon limited retrograde motion thereof close 5 to said top of the flight in readiness for prompt discharge of said held object when the belt is next advanced responsive to starting of said motor means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 further characterized in that said stopping switch means is power-actuated 10 at regular intervals to momentarily stop said motor a plurality of times before a conveyed object reaches the top of said flight whereby to provide repetitious jostling action as aforesaid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 809,245 Brinkmeyer Jan. 2, 1906 2,587,959 Biner Mar. 4, 1952 2,724,482 De Francisci Nov. 22, 1955 

